Emrys Means Immortal
by EternalFire214
Summary: After Arthur's death, Merlin becomes court sorcerer, until he discovers the true meaning of Emrys- immortality. He leaves Camelot and becomes invisible, nothing more than a ghost, protecting the Pendragon bloodline without revealing himself. Along the way, he accidentally creates another immortal. TWs, Spoiler Alerts, Character List, etc. are inside.


**Hi everybody! This is Eternal Fire, previously known as Cabin Six Girl.**

 **So, I know that I have two stories that I need to finish, but I had this vicious plot bunny for a Merlin/Harry Potter Crossover, and I started to write it, but then it seemed more like just a post-season five one-shot, and then it just kinda morphed into this thing.**

 **I proof-read this ONCE, and had a friend proof-read it ONCE, so it's probably crap, but I sat down and started typing and only got up twice and this is the result. Which basically means that I apologize for any mistakes, grammatical or show-related, and any OOC-ness, because the friend who proofread it has only seen a few episodes of Forever and no Merlin at all. I'm also not British, so sorry if I have anyone say anything that sounds like American crap and not at all British.**

 **Word Count: 3600**

 **Characters(alphabetical order): Abe, Abigail, Adam, Anya (OC), Gwen, Henry, Jo, and Merlin**

 **TW: talk of death and being shot. Nothing bad.**

 **Spoilers: Takes place after Season Five of Merlin, and Season One of Forever**

 **I**

 **have additional notes at the end of the story, and I might add more if there's anything I forgot to say, but... yah. Hopefully this is okay.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or Forever, otherwise Forever wouldn't have ended and there would be loads more BAMF!Merlin.**

 **Here it is!**

At first, after Arthur's death, Merlin just sat around, on the top of the tallest tower, and mourned in silence. The weight of everyone's death hit him harder than ever before- good and bad- Freya, Will, Balinor, Arthur, Mordred, Morgana, Gwaine, Uther, Agravaine, Lancelot, Nimueh, Isolde, even the Fisher King. Gwen eventually found him and coaxed him down, explaining that she needed help with a change in the law. When Merlin questioned what she was changing, she smiled and told him that she wanted magic to longer be outlawed. It didn't quite draw a smile from Merlin, but he came the closest to it as he had for the next few months.

For eight whole months, Merlin, Gwen, and Geoffrey worked together to rewrite the law and create a new position for Merlin, named Court Sorcerer, much to Merlin's protests. He informed them repeatedly that he was a warlock, not a sorcerer, but the title stuck. And then, at the end of those eight months, Gwen gave birth to a son, whom she named Llacheu, after a man who had saved her life many years ago. The was the only time Merlin truly smiled for a long time, looking down at the tiny boy and seeing Arthur in his golden hair and bright blue eyes.

Then Merlin became Court Sorcerer. Gwen had ordered his outfit, and it was ridiculous- a cone hat and starry cloak- which Merlin immediately turned down, even when Gaius said it was perfect. The hat became a thin silver circlet and the cloak became a long, dark blue cape, giving Merlin the impression of royalty. Gwen always gave him an odd look when he was wearing it, an odd mixture of respect, pride, and sorrow. He knew she saw the way he carried himself differently in it- for while dressed in the clothes, he became Emrys, the most powerful magic-user to ever walk the earth.

One week later, Merlin attended his first court as not a bystander, but a judge. A child named Anya had been found in a village's animal pen, her hands resting on the side of a cow. When they shooed her away and examine the cow, the villagers found it to be sick. Merlin studied her carefully, before saying, "Tell me."

And Anya did. She told him about how, ever since she was a little girl, she had been able to heal any living thing. She had lived in constant fear of being discovered and killed, and so when her mother died, she left the town. If anyone there had found out, she was scared they would turn her in. But then magic was no longer outlawed and Anya heard of a strange disease spreading through rural Camelot, one that only affected animals, she began to move from town to town, using her healing abilities to cure them.

"What spell did you use? What were the symptoms?"

Anya said the spell and explained the symptoms, and Merlin asked a very odd question. "Do you know an old lady named Alice?"

"My mother had a sister named Alice. I was told I had inherited her power." Merlin nodded, and asked for a demonstration. He felt her magic and knew instantly that she had been telling the truth. It was warm and pure, the type of magic that had never been corrupted by casting wicked spells. There was a hint of Alice in there too, a slight tingle that made Merlin remember Gaius's previous fiancé. Merlin declared her innocent, and so his age as Court Sorcerer truly started.

For the next decade, Merlin remained Court Sorcerer, helping Gwen in her duties, and watching over Llacheu. He told the prince about Arthur and the knights, and all of their adventures together. Merlin wasn't quite happy- there was still the ache, the crushing guilt, from Arthur's passing, and he felt his eyes sting whenever he saw Llacheu, but it was good. Then came Gaius's death, and Merlin holed himself up in his room, refusing to see anyone for a week. He didn't eat or sleep, simply raged at the unfairness of it all. How everyone he had ever cared for ended up dead. At the end of the week he emerged, but since that moment, things were different. Merlin saw himself and realized that he had barely changed in the whole decade. After that realization, he came to the druids, and the meaning of Emrys finally became clear- Emrys meant immortal. He had been cursed, and now he faced the worst punishment of all- watching everyone around him die, yet staying exactly the same. He threw down his circlet and cape and ran, ran far away and swore he'd never return to Camelot.

Merlin became a nomad- constantly travelling, hearing news in taverns, not staying in any one place for long. He used his magic to heal and help in every place he went, but before they could thank him, he would vanish. Some called him a guardian angel. Others said he wasn't even real, just a spirit that could only materialize long enough for a single act of kindness before dissipating once again. But then everything changed, and Merlin broke his promise. For Llacheu was getting married.

Merlin spent the rest of his journey back perfecting an invisibility spell, and once he arrived, he cast the spell. He would watch from the shadows, with no one able to see him, see how he still looked exactly the same, even when all of them were becoming old and wrinkled with children of their own. Merlin silently watched the knights and their children, checking up on everyone from his place on the raised platform. He stood, hidden, right next to the priest, able to look out on the crowd and see how they all had changed over the many years.

After that, Merlin became a guardian of sorts of the Pendragon bloodline. He observed but did not interfere, constantly keeping tabs on every one of Arthur's descendants. They slowly changed over the years, but Merlin could still see Arthur in all of them, no matter how many "greats" came before the title "grandchild". Some were not direct grandchildren, though. Merlin also kept tabs on his great-great-great (plus a few dozen more greats) nieces and nephews. Their last names changed, and most no longer resembled Arthur, outwardly or inwardly, but still he watched.

Centuries passed, and Merlin found himself following one of Arthur's distantly related nephews aboard his father's ship. It was a slave ship, Merlin realized with fury, but the man, whom was named Henry, wasn't there as a slave trader. He was the ship's doctor. And Merlin observed with pride as he planned to release the slaves and let them take over the ship at his own great personal risk. Henry still had Arthur's selflessness and sense of duty, even though his appearance looked nothing like Arthur. Merlin followed Henry's plan and helped when he could, but there was nothing he could do without giving away his presence when the sailors became suspicious. Merlin watched in horror as a bullet pierced Henry's chest and he flew backwards, into the arms of another, who threw him over the edge of the ship. Merlin dived in after him, and his magic came forth, throwing everything it could at the slowly sinking body. In a great flash of gold, Henry disappeared, as well as Merlin, and they both reppeared back in the water, but close to the shore.

Merlin didn't realize what he had done, even when the man crept out of the water, naked but completely healed. All Merlin knew was that he had saved Henry's life. But then Henry told Nora, his wife, and was holding the blade to his wrist, so Merlin knew he had to intervene. He took away her will just long enough for her to assure him that he believed her. Henry sighed with relief and Merlin joined in as the blade was lowered. But his victory was short- Henry was taken to an asylum, where Merlin had to thrust his magic into the man again and again to prevent the "doctors" from killing him. They were not doctors- Gaius was, and and Henry was, but those cruel men were not. They were of Uther's breed.

Merlin finally used his magic to get Henry put in a cell with a druid's descendant instead. The man had become a priest, which was fitting, and he still had the helpful, protective nature of a druid, despite his crimes. The man also had another druid part to him- he could feel the Once and Future King's blood flowing in Henry's veins, no matter how muddled and tarnished it had become, no matter how little truly remained. So he helped Henry, and Henry told the man how he had been resurrected. The priest told Henry it was God's hand, and Merlin could only chuckle softly at that. He wasn't God, he was Emrys.

And then Merlin vanished again, positive that they would be fine for a day. He needed to help another of Arthur's descendants, but right as he finished, he was yanked away as Henry emerged from the water, naked yet fine, once again.

It was then that Merlin understood.

He had made Henry the same as Arthur. He had made it so that, whenever Henry died, he would be reborn in water, just as Arthur eventually would be. But instead of just once, Henry would return _every_ time he died. And having used such strong magic, and so much of it, Merlin had planted a small sliver of his own soul in the man. He had become bound to him.

For the next 200 or so years, Merlin dedicated himself to protecting Henry, the compassionate doctor. Merlin grinned as he fell in love with two others that were very distantly related to Arthur- Abigail, a young woman who still had Arthur's blonde hair and blue eyes, and Abraham, who was only a baby at the time. Having all three of them together made it easier for Merlin to protect them. He woke Abigail when Henry tried to leave her, made them both see sense, even obediently followed them to America, leaving Lake Avalon behind. He was stuck with Henry, whether he liked it or not.

But Abigail tragically died while Merlin was with Henry, and he blamed himself for her death. If he had been more careful, if he had saved her, she would still be alive. But Henry didn't know that it was Merlin's fault, nor that Abigail was even dead, and it made his chest hurt whenever he saw Henry desperately searching for her.

Merlin could feel more empathy for this man than any other- they both shared the curse of immortality, they both lost the love of their life, they both had been forced to watch as all of their loved ones died, they both had secrets they were afraid to share, and they were both the only of their kind. At least, that is what Merlin assumed, until he swore revenge on Abigail's killer and chased him down, only to find the strangest thing: another immortal. The man called himself Adam, and he was even older than Merlin. Way back in Ancient Rome, he had been stabbed with a dagger, and then slowly came to realize that he was immortal. Merlin searched the entire world for the dagger, and when he found it, Merlin was amazed to find that it was a special blade. It had been forged in a dragon's breath, just like Excalibur, but the results had been different. Instead of being able to kill anything, it made anything it touched _un_ killable. But it also meant that Merlin would never be able to take his revenge on Abigail's killer.

Merlin continued to faithfully stay at Henry's side, as invisible as always. He was relieved when Henry recovered enough from Abigail's disappearance to get a job as, not a doctor, but a medical examiner. Merlin found the work horrifying, and refused to watch as Henry sliced open corpses, but silently praised his successes. He almost had a heart attack when Henry and a lady named Jo met for the first time, for when Merlin reached out with is magic to Jo, he felt a tint of something he hadn't felt in centuries. He felt a small piece of Gwaine. Jo Martinez was the great-times-a-large-number-granddaughter of Gwaine's older sister.

None of that mattered, though, when Merlin overheard Henry receiving an anonymous call from Abigail's murderer. It made Merlin angry beyond belief to hear him taunt to Henry, to hear him say how he knew who Henry was, because Merlin knew he didn't truly know anything. Henry Morgan had Arthur's blood in him, and so he would always have Merlin as his silent protector.

Time passed, and Merlin sighed in frustration whenever Henry got himself killed and dragged Merlin back to wherever he was reborn as well. He still watched over him, but he started to watch over Jo as well, investigating her past and finding out that her husband had died almost a year ago. Merlin brought them closer, tried to help Henry trust her. If Jo had even a drop of Gwaine's blood in her veins, he knew that she would believe Henry if- _when-_ Henry told her of his immortality. But he understood Henry's hesitation, because he had been the same way. He had trusted Arthur completely, was ready to die for him at any given time, and yet he found himself unable of sharing his greatest secret. So Merlin swore to protect both of them, and hope desperately that Henry would be wiser than Merlin and just tell her.

And then Henry got his revenge on Adam and discovered that the gun wouldn't work- why would it? Merlin was the one who made him immortal, not some stupid mortal weapon that one had one function: hurt- and Merlin found himself settling down a bit. There weren't any other major threats, and Jo was safe as well, so he had just been invisibly sinking into one of the antique chairs when the door opened. Merlin heard the whole conversation, and felt a flicker of pride for Jo's detective skills. He jumped up out of his chair when Abe told Henry to tell her, and ran over as quickly as possible. Now would be the moment of truth. Henry was finally going to tell her everything.

He followed them down into Henry's lab, where all of his forbidden books were hidden, and told her everything. Abe came down later and backed him up, but Merlin could tell that Jo believed him. She had Gwaine's faith in the impossible. And all was well.

Or at least, Merlin assumed.

Abe eventually passed away and Henry and Jo grew even closer through mourning Henry's son, Merlin joined in at the funeral as well, disguising himself as "an old friend of Abe's". He used Dragoon as a template but got rid of the beard and de-aged a bit, just enough to look realistic. Henry seemed surprised, but welcomed him all the same. It was in that moment that Merlin knew he had to reveal his identity to Henry at some point. Henry was already defying the laws of the universe, so why shouldn't he believe Merlin's story?

In the end, it was fate who forced Merlin to reveal himself. Jo was out of town, and Henry was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Merlin hadn't been able to prevent it, but seeing as no one else was around, he was forced to conjure up one of Henry's outfits and come to the river.

He found Henry hiding behind a bush. Merlin took a deep breath and made himself visible, for the first time in ages. It felt good to be so solid once more. He tapped Henry's shoulder and took a step back as the doctor whirled around.

"Who are you?" Henry demanded.

"My name is Merlin," Merlin replied. "I, er, brought you some clothes. Thought you might need them." He handed them over to Henry, who eyed them suspiciously.

"These look exactly like mine," he narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"They, well, they are yours. Like I said, I thought you might need them." Henry got dressed and turned to face Merlin. "Your name is Henry Morgan, isn't it?"

Henry's reaction was as to be expected- fear, anger, caution, all at once. "Yes, actually. How did you know?"

"I know a lot," Merlin shrugged. "Just like I know that the reason you came out of the river is because you're immortal." Henry's eyes widened. "Hey, relax," he said weakly, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. "Do I really look like a threat? Do I really look like Adam?"

"How did you find out about me?" Henry muttered.

"I'm- uh, I'm immortal too." Henry took a step back and sharply inhaled in surprise. "But I'm not like Adam, trust me. I wasn't turned immortal, like you two. I was born immortal, and then there was an accident, and I might've made you immortal as well." Henry seemed to be in too much shock to reply, so Merlin continued. "My name is Merlin, like I said, except I'm _the_ Merlin. Great wizard, Camelot Merlin. I knew Arthur. I was his friend. But then he died and I couldn't save him, so instead, I've been following his bloodline, trying to keep them safe. You got shot, on that boat, and I panicked. It wasn't your time to die. So I healed you, but I used too much force. I cursed you, just like I am cursed." Merlin paused, seeing the disbelief and utter fear written across Henry's face. "As for Adam, well, I tracked down his dagger. It's sort of like Excalibur, except instead of being able to kill the unkillable, it made him immortal. You have to believe me," Merlin added, slightly pleadingly. "I never meant for this to happen. I tried to protect Abigail, but Avalon had other plans. Just like it did with Arthur."

"Do you really expect me to believe you?"

"Yes, Henry Morgan, distant descendant of Arthur Pendragon, Once and Future King," Merlin answered. "Your father owned a slave ship. He had more Uther in him than Arthur, turning to evil measures to help his family. You were more like Arthur. You knew it was wrong but he refused to listen to sense, so you swore to break them out. But then you were shot and tossed overboard. I used the power of Avalon itself to heal you, but Avalon decided differently. It made you like Arthur, destined to be reborn in water when you are needed. But you were still needed, so you kept returning."

"I don't believe you," Henry breathed, backing up. "That isn't possible."

"Yes, it is," Merlin argued. He took a step forward, towards Henry, and pressed his hands onto Henry's temples. Henry struggled to get loose, but with a flash of his eyes, he was stuck in place, unmoving. " _Haec videt animam meam. Qui vivat praeterito per meos oculos_ _._ " Merlin muttered, and his eyes remained gold. Henry's eyes turned gold as well, and he found himself living everything through Merlin's eyes, found himself watching his loved ones die, found himself using his magic for good but having to hide it. Henry saw Merlin throw his magic at Henry's lifeless body, and saw what had happened, all in a few seconds.

He blinked, trying to figure out what had just happened. Magic. That was what had happened.

It took a whole month for Henry to accept the truth, and Merlin impatiently waited for that time. He would occasionally reveal himself to Henry, and even explained that he was guarding Jo as well. He told Henry how Avalon had allowed them to live long and happy lives together, but what he didn't tell Henry was how, as Jo took her last breath, he was destined to take his as well.

And Merlin was with them when it happened- they both quietly passed away in their sleep after returning from their trip to Spain. It was a good way to go, Merlin, decided, but at that point, he would accept any death as a blessing for him. The couple took their last breath and Merlin watched their life leave them, both of their last breaths floating up to the sky in a cloud of gold. Merlin called Aithusa and followed it, across the ocean, and back to Lake Avalon, where he always knew he would have to return when Henry's time was up. He returned reluctantly, knowing that now he would have to return to his lonely life, when the cloud stopped. It hovered over Lake Avalon and Merlin urged Aithusa to land, squinting through the darkness of the night, trying to make out the shape on the shore of the lake.

And then Merlin knew what it was. Henry had died because he was no longer needed. It didn't mean the world didn't need a savior any longer, it had meant that he died because the world's prophesized savior had arrived.

Merlin slid off Aithusa's back and rushed to the shape, which softly called out at the sight of Merlin.

"Arthur," he whispered, and pulled him into an embrace, feeling the soaked cape, the water rolling off his chain mail armor, running his hands over Arthur, trying to convince himself that he was actually there.

The Once and Future King had finally returned.

 ** _Haec videt animam meam. Qui vivat praeterito per meos oculos-_** **Latin for "May this man see my life. May he live the past through my eyes"- or at least, according to google translate. Sorry if it's completely wrong.**

 **Okay, sorry if any of that made ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE WHATSOEVER, like I said, I only proofread it once. If any of you have any thoughts or ideas, or even ideas of how to expand/add on, or you want more of this universe, or even just want to talk, or rant, or whatever, PLEASE REVIEW OR PM ME! I check my inbox and stories every day, so I should be able to read it/reply very quickly, and if I don't, I'm most likely out of town.**

 **This is marked as complete, but I may add on in the future, so if you liked this, please follow and/or favorite!**

 **Also, please review! Reviews are like candy- sweet or sour, I'll gobble them up like my life depends on it. Reviews are my fuel! Even if you just want to tell me everything I did wrong with this, I'll appreciate it, because it's helping me become a better writer. They also make me VERY VERY HAPPY! Every time you review, you are making me smile!**

 **This isn't for sure yet, but I might be posting a COMPLETE multi-chapter Merlin/Harry Potter fic soon, if I can get my act together.**

 **Bye!- EF :D**


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